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Barak-Alorak
The kingdom of the dwarves, specifically the Ædar, Barak-Alorak (BAHR ahk AHL or ahk) was once nicknamed the Seven Jewels beneath the Mountains for its seven great, duchal cities. Over time, however, the glory of the ancient empire has waned, and only three of the once-powerful duchies remain: Carak, Merak, and the city of Anarak, the "Diamond of Alorak" and seat of the Forgeking. The Great Misfortune of the Eternal Mountains, the first of the disasters to be wrought against Barak-Alorak occurred during the First Incursion of Kaos, over three thousand years before the founding of Kærn Kronus. The two great duchies of the Eternal Mountains, Belak and Khalorak, sank beneath the sea when their mountains were sundered by the energies released when Cymber claimed godhood using the energies released from opening the Cask of Sear. The stout folk of the Eternal Mountains were forced to the surface, where they persevered for millennia as the Firbolg offshoot of the Ædar race. After the Once-Sundered Mountains arose from the sea floor during the Worldquake, the Firbolg sent expeditions to their ancestral homes, but found the paths to Berak lost and, far worse, Khalorak, the city from which all dwarves were born, had become the den of terrible abominations called aboleths, the greatest of them, their repugnant Underlord, living in the once-throne room of the dwarven kings. The sinking of Khalorak and death of the king and his sons resulted in the capital moving to Devorak and the crown to the head of the king's nephew. There is remained for over a thousand years, until the Dragon War. Among the many battles of that war included the siege of the dwarven capital by a combined force of red and blue dragons. The city was lost, and the king slain. After what has become known as the Great Misfortune of Devorak, the late king's son and only heir carried the crown to the city of Anarak, where it remains. When the dragons were removed from the world, their humanoid servants remained in the dwarven city and rumors spread of the dragons that remained sleeping beneath the halls of the second capital. With the resurgence of dragons, the great city has long been considered forever lost. Again, over a millennium passed before another, great tragedy would befall the dwindling kingdom of the stout folk. The Great Misfortune of Jherak was perhaps the saddest of them all as it arose not from external forces or invasion, but from within dwarven society itself. The Duergar clan of the Ædar reigned in Jherak's halls, deep beneath the mountains where magma flowed, and ambition drove them to seek the crown for themselves. The Duergar were unsuccessful in their coup and driven back into the depths of Jherak. In order to protect themselves from potential reprisal at the hands of the Ædar, the Duergar collapsed the tunnels connecting themselves to the rest of Barak-Alorak. Six centuries later, the Duergar returned through unknown tunnels, only to be hunted to extinction by the Ædar after another failed attempt at conquering the dwarves of Anarak. Today, Barak-Alorak is a nation of survivors, its major cities connected by thousands of miles of tunnels beneath hills and mountains. The cities are almost entirely populated by Ædar with a smattering of Firbolgs and Gnomes. The kingdom, however, is filled with all manner of creatures haunting the tunnels between, though the dwarves do their best to control the more dangerous creatures of the depths. The dwarves of Barak-Alorak had long been close allies of the humans of Seawn and Kæryn, and more recently those of Wilder, before the coming of Az and the Third Incursion of Kaos. With the war and destruction on the surface, and the death of Fergus, once the primary god of the stout folk, the Ædar have withdrawn from the surface and closed their iron gates. They blame humanity for the rise of Az's cult and near-destruction of the surface world, and they blame the Sidh, more than anyone, for the death of their god at the archangel's hands. The Alliance of Stone, which has long stood in recognition of the shared origins of the Ædar, Firbolg, and Gnome races, remains strong, however, and those races are allowed to freely come and go through Ædar territories along the great subterranean roads that run like veins through the mountains. They have many enemies, having stood with the humans and Sidh against Korvis and Ancellyon, but their greatest and longest-lasting animosity remains that held against the orcs, who allied with the dragons and conquered Devorak during the great Dragon Wars. Though thousands of years have passed, their ancient capital remains infested by the descendants of those invaders, and the stout folk are well known, now more than ever, for their ability to hold a grudge. Category:Locations Category:Gazeteer